Hilarie
A feminine name of French origin meaning "cheerful" or "joyful".
Name Census estimates that about 667 living Americans carry the first name Hilarie. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Hilarie today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Hilarie births was 1981 (32 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Hilarie. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
667
~ 1 in 513,875 Americans
Peak year
1981
32 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
2008 SSA rank
#18,548
Tracked since 1948
Census
Hilarie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 783 people with the first name Hilarie, which placed it at #14,879 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#14,879
National first-name rank
People counted
783
783 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
81.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hilarie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hilarie is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Black (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Hilarie described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Hilarie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.6% · 639
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 63
- Black or African American4.5% · 35
- Two or more races2.9% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 6
Popularity
Hilarie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Hilarie from the 1940s through to the 2000s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 218 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Hilarie by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Hilarie during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Hilaries live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. New York, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Hilarie, while California, Texas, New York recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Hilarie
The name Hilarie originates from the Latin name Hilarius, which itself is derived from the Latin word "hilaris" meaning "cheerful" or "merry." This name has its roots in ancient Roman culture, where it was likely used as a nickname or personal name to describe someone with a jovial or happy demeanor.
The earliest recorded use of the name Hilarius dates back to the 3rd century CE, when it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs. One of the most notable figures was Saint Hilarius of Poitiers (c. 310–367 CE), a Bishop and Doctor of the Church known for his defense of Trinitarian doctrine against the Arian heresy.
Another significant bearer of the name was Pope Hilarius (461–468 CE), who played a crucial role in resolving the Monophysite controversy and helped establish the authority of the Roman See over the Eastern churches. His papacy marked a period of reconciliation and stability within the early Church.
In the Middle Ages, the name Hilarie appeared in various forms, such as Hilary, Hilarie, and Hilarius, among the nobility and clergy across Europe. One notable example is Hilarius of Arles (c. 401–449 CE), a renowned theologian and Bishop of Arles who wrote extensively on the Trinity and the Incarnation.
During the Renaissance period, the name Hilarie gained popularity, particularly in England and France. One famous bearer was Hilaire Belloc (1870–1953), a renowned Anglo-French writer and historian known for his celebrated works, including "The Path to Rome" and "The Servile State."
Another notable figure was Hilaire Desjardins (1835–1913), a French-Canadian journalist and politician who played a significant role in the cooperative movement in Quebec and founded the Desjardins Group, one of the largest financial institutions in Canada.
In more recent history, the name Hilarie has been borne by several accomplished individuals, such as Hilarie Burton (born 1982), an American actress known for her roles in "One Tree Hill" and "White Collar," and Hilarie Reis (born 1960), an American actress and singer best known for her portrayal of Sonya Walger on the television series "Thirtysomething."
While the name Hilarie has origins in ancient Roman culture and has been borne by notable figures throughout history, it has maintained its association with cheerfulness and merriment, reflecting the enduring appeal of its etymological roots.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Hilarie
People
Hilarie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Hilarie as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with H
Other first names starting with H with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Hilarie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Hilarie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 667 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Hilarie going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 513,875 US residents.
Is Hilarie a common name?
We classify Hilarie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 87.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 771 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Hilarie most popular?
The single biggest year for Hilarie was 1981, when 32 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Hilarie is about 50 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Hilarie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 783 people with the name Hilarie, or 0.26 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,879 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Hilarie in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Hilarie?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Hilarie appears almost entirely female. Of the 779 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Hilarie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Hilarie is White at 81.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (8.0%) and Black (4.5%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Hilarie most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Hilarie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.6% (639 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Hilarie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Hilarie a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Hilarie in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Hilarie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Hilarie in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Hilarie can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many Americans are named Hilarie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.